The use of fiber optics for communications purposes continues to grow. Data, voice, and other communication networks are increasingly using fiber optics to carry information. In a fiber optic network, each individual fiber is generally connected to both a source and a destination device. Additionally, along the fiber optic run between the source and the destination, various connections or couplings may be made on the optical fiber to adjust the length of the fiber or to provide termination connection ports for end users at which one or more fibers may be branched from a feed cable. Each connection or coupling requires a connector and adaptor to align the fibers such that the light can transmit without interruption, and in instances when the connection may be exposed to weather conditions, an essentially waterproof configuration of components.
With the increasing desire for completely optical networks, FTTP/FTTH—“fiber to the premises” or “fiber to the home” systems are being developed to provide optical fibers that extend from the source to the site of the end-user. For this purpose, optical connection terminals are used for interconnection of the feed lines from the source with drop cables that extend to various user locations within a certain distance from the terminals.
To interconnect the cables, numerous, different, cable connector designs provide for low insertion loss and stability. Some example connectors may include, but are not limited to, SC, Dual LC, LC, ST and MPO connectors. In most of these designs, ferrules (one in each connector, or one in the connector and one in the apparatus or device), each containing an optical fiber end, are butted together end to end and light travels across the junction. Zero insertion loss requires that the fibers in the ferrules be exactly aligned, a condition that, given the necessity of manufacturing tolerances and cost considerations, is virtually impossible to achieve, except by fortuitous accident. Since the mechanical tolerances involved in terminating optical fiber are stringent in most applications, optical fiber is generally not terminated on site. In situations wherein optical fiber must be terminated on site, it may take a skilled technician between about 15 to 20 minutes to splice the fibers together using specialized splicing equipment. Optical fiber is therefore often provided in a range of different lengths, factory pre-terminated at both ends with a connector plug ready to plug into a matching receptacle.
Aerial splice closures and pre-engineered networks are some of the available configurations for providing receptacles for fiber cable connection and distribution. Aerial splice closures are typically suspended from cables above the ground and require substantial expertise to configure the connections within the closure out in the field. For example, it is often difficult to gain access to the closure and to identify an optical fiber of the distribution cable to be interconnected with an optical fiber of a particular drop cable. Once identified, the optical fibers of the drop cables are typically joined directly to the optical fibers of the distribution cable using conventional splicing techniques, such as fusion splicing, that is very time consuming and requires a highly skilled field technician. It is often labor intensive, and therefore costly, to reconfigure the existing optical connections or to add additional optical connections in an aerial closure.
Pre-engineered, factory prepared systems allow for less skilled technicians to perform system connections. Pre-engineered networks, however, require fairly precise layouts and design to determine the configuration of components and lengths of fiber that are to be pre-made and installed on site. Simple miscalculations, or unforeseen circumstances may then result in timely delays. For example a pre-finished length of fiber cable may end up being too short, requiring another cable to be ordered and manufactured. As a result, it may be inconvenient, hazardous or even impossible to make the necessary interconnections of pre-made optical fibers.
Existing types of connection devices generally require a large amount of space within the connection enclosure to accomplish splicing or interconnecting functions. In addition, to further reduce costs and provide a more aesthetically pleasing appearance, interconnection enclosure are often placed within, or hidden within a hand-hole, vault, network terminal, or pedestal having the smallest possible volume, which can make it difficult to work within such enclosures.
There remains a need to provide a multiport connection terminal for interconnecting one or more drop cables with a fiber optic feed cable at a desired branch point in a fiber optic network, wherein the connection terminal is compact to fit within mounting enclosure such as the hand-hole vault, etc., easily configurable by a relatively unskilled technician, and allow for relatively easy interconnection of an optical fiber of at least one pre-connectorized optical fiber drop cable and a respective pre-terminated optical fiber feed cable.